Tokyo keeps low profile on Clinton's remarks

Tokyo keeps low profile on Clinton's remarks

By Pierre-Antoine Donnet

TOKYO (AFP): Despite widespread outrage over remarks by U.S.
President Bill Clinton justifying the use of the atom bomb on
Japan during World War II, the Japanese government has remained
silent on the contentious issue, trying hard not to re-open old
wounds.

Survivors of the U.S. atom bomb attacks on Hiroshima and
Nagasaki in 1945 sent Clinton a letter condemning his comments,
but with the 50th anniversary of the end of the war approaching,
Tokyo has kept a low profile.

Clinton, responding to questions as to whether the bombing of
the two cities was justified, said Tuesday: "My simple position
is ... that painful though it is, even after 50 years, that
President Truman did the right thing."

Several days earlier, Clinton said he saw no reason to
apologize for the bombings, which killed 140,000 people in
Hiroshima and 70,000 in Nagasaki in August 1945, but which the
United States says brought an end to the war.

The survivors reacted with the "deepest anger" to his
statements, saying that the U.S. president had damaged efforts
worldwide to bring about the abolition of nuclear weapons.

Foreign Minister Yohei Kono said any protests were out of the
question, but that he hoped Washington would understand Japanese
"feelings" and that both countries could find common ground to
help deal with the delicate issue.

Officially, Japan disagrees with the U.S. position that the
bombs hastened the Japanese surrender and the end of the Pacific
War, and there continues to be widespread resentment over this
dark period in Japan's history.

As the mayor of Nagasaki, Hitoshi Motoshima, said last month:
"I think that, like the Holocaust, the atomic bombings were two
of the greatest crimes against humanity of the 20th century."

His Hiroshima counterpart, Takashi Hiraoka, was equally
vehement against the decision to drop the bombs, which he said
was not targeted at hastening the end of the war but rather meant
as a warning to the Soviet Union as it pushed its way into Asia
as Japan collapsed.

Japan's major daily, the Yomiuri Shimbun, said ties between
Japan and the United States had been hurt by the affair, adding:
"U.S. President Bill Clinton is to blame for the dispute since he
recently defended the U.S. atomic bombings. "

But faced with the upcoming anniversary and already strained
bilateral ties over the dollar's plunge against the yen, the
government of Prime Minister Tomiichi Murayama has been reluctant
to let the issue escalate, analysts say.

The United States has invited Japan to ceremonies marking the
victory of the allies over Japan which are due to take place in
Hawaii in early September.

The invitation was sent Thursday by Defense Secretary William
Perry to his Japanese counterpart Tokuichiro Tamazawa. Tokyo has
yet to respond.

The White House said a month ago that it would continue to use
the expression "V-J Day" -- or Victory over Japan Day -- to mark
the date of Japan's official surrender in September 1945.

But the Japanese government apparently does not believe that
this will be the case. "I hear that the ceremonies won't be in
the nature of celebrating victory", Tamazawa said. "But they will
focus on mourning the victims of the Pacific War from all
countries and reaffirming the friendship among all countries
concerned."

Washington earlier invited Murayama to attend the ceremonies,
but Tokyo declined the invitation.